Kismayo, Somalia
The Union of Islamic Courts, which controls the Somali capital of Mogadishu, accused Ethiopia this week of invading Somalia. Ethiopia supports Somalia’s transitional government, which controls only the city of Baidoa, and it has had thousands of troops massed on the border for several weeks. But it denies that its troops have crossed into Somali territory. Still, the Islamists took over Kismayo, a key Somali port, to prevent its use by any foreign force. Kismayo’s warlords quickly fled, but residents took up a struggle against the invaders, throwing stones and chanting, “We don’t want the Islamic Courts!” Islamist forces fired into the crowd, killing at least one child.
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